T in the park: Big night for Big Country's 'homecoming'

FOR Eighties rock giants Big Country this was their first ever T in the Park - 30 years after they first formed.

However, it was a homecoming of sorts. The band originally came from Dunfermline - just a short trip down the road in Fife.

One of the most successful bands ever to come out of Scotland, Big Country have recently reformed - with Mike Peters from the Alarm as the new lead singer.

• Follow our live coverage of T in the Park throughout the weekend at scotsman.com/titp2011

Original front man Stuart Adamson died in a hotel room in Hawaii in 2001 - but his fellow band members said he would have loved the spirit of T in the Park, the most exuberant of Scottish festivals.

A spokesman for the band said: "To be able to play at T in the Park is a perfect opportunity for us to really celebrate our 30th anniversary in Scotland.

"Because the band was basically born in Fife, T is a fitting place to return to for this occasion. Stuart would have appreciated this, and we're all looking forward to it."

Big Country had a series of massive worldwide hits in the 1980s with songs such as Fields of Fire, Chance and In a Big Country.

Their characteristic sound was rock music set to a rousing military beat which featured traditional folk instruments such as fiddles and bagpipes.

Also making their festival debut yesterday on one of the smaller festival stages were Crayons - an up-and-coming band also from Dunfermline.